


Stranger Danger

by DameMond



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Gen, I won't spoil shit of the plot, drama and fluff and angst and lots of everything, hope you join me in this ride, just some relationships and that ain't the end kids, more tags and characters to be added as the story goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-17 11:26:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8142046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DameMond/pseuds/DameMond
Summary: She should have remembered her mother’s words: "be wary of strangers". Now she was stuck in an apartment that wasn’t hers, had an extra job of a party hostess for charity and was being chased by a digital shadow by the name of Unknown. Also, she had met a very strange group of people through a chat she didn’t even know how she got into. Wasn’t life just delightful?And it looked like things were just beginning for her.(Mystic Messenger, a retelling with changes.)





	1. Unknown

**Author's Note:**

> Ah yes, here I am, writing my way into MysMes. Oh boy, here we go.
> 
> [Buy Me a Coffee?](https://ko-fi.com/A08150G)   
> 

 

Your eyes scanned the computer screen over and over, eyes itching, trying to find out the wrong point in the benefit list your co-worker had asked you to find. Working in a clothes shop had never felt so damn tiring, but it was the best thing you could find at the moment. Paid the bills well and managed to save bit by bit for small treats for yourself.

"I can’t find it," you whined. "No matter how many times I check, everything looks fine to me."

"Then someone made a wrong count with the skirts in the back when they arrived, because we’re missing like a dozen of 'em." Your co-worker, Hayoon, replied from behind you, leaning over your shoulder to look at the list. You just were so done, so tired and wanted to go home. She probably saw your face, hearing her clicking her tongue as she did. "You okay? You’ve been all day staring at that."

"Item management isn’t easy. It’s the worst duty and add it being locked in the back office. I hate when I get the office days."

"So you hate Mondays, like everyone else."

You groaned. "I wish I could at least take some breaks to help around the shop, or just have a desk at the shop!"

"You work there every other day of the week, and we can’t have offices open in a clothes shop, can we?" You rolled your eyes as she smiled and promptly shoved you aside. "Get your ass home; I’ll explain the manager tomorrow. Whoever caused this mess is gonna pay for making us do extra hours."

"Punch them for me." You replied, grabbing your jacket and heading for the exit. God, the fresh air had never _felt so good,_ you literally stood at the dark shop’s door for a few seconds, enjoying your freedom and the cold breeze. You heard Hayoon laughing.

"Go home, you, before it gets darker! I’ll take care of locking down."

"Bless you!" You laughed, running away down the street. You thought you heard a "you owe me one!" before disappearing around the corner. Perhaps if you went fast enough, you could catch the bus in time and avoid waiting half an hour for the next one.

_Bzzt, bzzt._

Huh, weird. Who would text you this late? Was it Hayoon? Perhaps you left something behind. You hoped that wasn’t the case.

 Unlocking the screen, you saw a messaging app you didn’t remember installing. Probably. Your memory was really bad. Wary, you opened it.

 A chatroom?

**Please, set a name:**

You stopped, wondering, before typing in a nickname you remembered fondly: _Tiger_. No way you were going to put your real name in there without knowing what it was, right?

**Please, set a profile picture:**

You let out a groan before just choosing a photo of your pet bunny back at your parents’ home. Perhaps at any other hour of the day you would’ve given a bit more of thought at which picture to choose, but tired as you were, you were out of damns to give. A belier bunny wouldn’t give out much.

**Unknown has entered the chatroom**

**Unknown:**

_Hello?_

Curiosity got the best of you. Was it a bot?

**You:**

_?_

**Unknown:**

_Can you read me?_

**You:**

_Yeah, I can. Who are you?_

A light on the road made you stop before realizing it was your bus speeding away from the stop. You cursed under your breath _. Well, shit._ There went your hope of going home before midnight.

You didn’t get an answer yet, so decided to just save the phone until you arrived to your stop and waited there for the next bus. Once you sat down, the phone buzzed again.

 

**Unknown:**

_Oh, just a troubled stranger._

_Really now,_ you thought. You were beginning to feel uneasy, but as long as you didn’t give any info, you wouldn’t get in trouble, would you?

 

**Unknown:**

_I was wondering if you could do me a favour?_

**You:**

_Is this where you ask for my credit card number?_

**Unknown:**

_Hahah, no, it’s just this phone. I found it lost and all this had installed was this messenger app. I’ve been trying to find the owner, but so far none replied to my messages. Just you._

**You:**

_Aren’t you lucky_

_Can’t you take it to the police or call someone from the contact list?_

**Unknown:**

_I would, but there aren’t any police stations near me and I just want to give it back as fast as I can. None answers either, this phone’s pretty empty, but it’s brand new. I bet they’re looking for it._

**You:**

_What do I have to do with this????_

**Unknown:**

_It has an address saved, perhaps the owner. Can you help me and go there and leave a note to the owner saying I have the phone?_

 

You immediately thought of saying no. Too suspicious, too… everything bad that could pass through your head in a few seconds. You didn’t like the plan.

 

**You:**

_I’m sorry, but_

_this sounds too fishy??_

_I don’t want to know to an unknown address, y’know_

**Unknown:**

_I know, and I’m sorry to ask you this, a total stranger. I just… in my religion, we have a belief about doing as much good as we can, and I don’t want to cause trouble to the phone owner by keeping it more than necessary._

You kinda felt bad for the stranger. Kinda.

 

**Unknown:**

_I checked the address and it’s a well developed area, an apartment complex. It’s too far away from me, but perhaps you’re closer?_

Well developed, huh? You felt a bit safer at the thought and then reprimanded yourself from even considering the idea. _Stranger danger_ , you reminded yourself, _stranger danger_.

Still, you checked the address out in your maps app. It _was_ an apartment complex, well lit and with around twenty floors of height. Checking the roads, you realized the next bus before the one you wanted to take would leave you close enough, though you never took it before.

 

**You:**

_Doesn’t… look too bad_

**Unknown:**

_^^_

_So will yo do it?_

_You* sorry, typo._

You bit your lower lip, unable to believe you were actually going forward with this. But perhaps, if you did this good deed, karma would give you something back. If you didn’t get mugged, that was. It was a small risk in the back of your mind, but if the building was that luxurious, it would have guards and security near it, right?

Your heart was racing as you wrote the words that would change your life course.

 

**You:**

_Aight, I’ll do it_

**_Unknown:_ **

_!!!_

_Thank you so much!_

You were relieved to see the large building come into view, completely illuminated and with tints of white and golden, and without getting mugged! You could see a security camera at the main gate (which was open) and despite the lighted up place the building seemed strangely empty. Not even guards at the main doors, as you would’ve expected from such a place.

But, then again, the lights were on.

Well, it was midnight, after all. People sleep, _unlike you,_ your brain had the decency to remind you. You prayed karma would reeeeally help you after this.

You reread the address: fourteenth floor. You entered without a problem and the elevator took forever to come down, but the place felt… nice? You didn’t mind, you probably wouldn’t be able to step foot in such a place ever again.

 

**You:**

_I’m at the door, I’ll ring the bell_

**Unknown:**

_Hopefully somebody answers~_

 

The door had a security padlock, it was the first thing you noticed about it before deciding to ring the bell.

None answered, and your uneasiness grew bigger each second you passed in that empty hallway. You couldn’t help but glance behind you every few seconds, expecting someone to come around and kick you out or just, well, knowing your life luck, just get into some sort of trouble.

 

**You:**

_I don’t think anyone’s inside;;_

**Unknown:**

_Don’t worry, the phone has the security code, just type it in~_

**You:**

_Whoa there, isn’t that_

_like_

_invading or something?_

_I’ll probably get in trouble dude_

**Unknown:**

_Just leave a note for them and leave, it should be enough!_

_You can show the log too as proof, so don’t worry! Here’s the code:_

_070322_

**You:**

_Al… right???_

 

For a moment you legit considered leaving and lie to the stranger, but other part of your mind said that it’d probably just be one minute, leave the note and just run off the building. Nervousness was beginning to gnaw at your stomach.

You punched in the code and opened the door.

The lights turned on immediately the moment you stepped into the hallway. It felt warm and clean, but it smelled as if it hadn’t been opened in ages. You took another tentative step, closing the door behind you and walked into what looked to be a small living room with a bed. Just leave a note and go, right? Right.

 

**You:**

_I’m inside, I’ll just_

_Write this and leave_

**Unknown:**

_Th_

_ank_

_you…_

 

There was a static, loud, screeching sound from your phone as the screen went black. Startled, you threw it away onto the nearby couch. You thought you saw green lines speeding across the screen. Fear and realization made your blood freeze in your veins. What if you got caught? What if this was a trap of some sort?!

Shit, you should’ve said no.

Before panicking even more, you forced yourself to take a deep breath. Maybe text Hayoon, or really just leave the note and run away like mad-

_Bzzt, bzzt._

You peeked at the phone again. The screen looked normal… Perhaps it had been a bug?

Reaching for it, you checked the chatroom. You thought Unknown was still there, but instead…

There were around five people talking non-stop at a dizzying speed. You couldn’t even write at them, you just… watched them, eyeing their profile pictures. Yoosung, 707, Jumin Han, ZEN, Jaehee Kang and… Tiger, you. Those were the names you could read that were in the chatroom.

Until someone figured out you were there.

 

**707:**

_WAIT_

_I think someone has entered the chatroom!_

**Yoosung:**

_??????_

_what???_

**Jumin Han:**

_Tiger? What kind of name is that?_

**ZEN:**

_lmao I’m sure it’s just Seven trolling us;;_

**707:**

_what_

_u really think i’d pull that?_

**ZEN:**

_ya_

**Yoosung:**

_umm_

**Jumin Han:**

_…_

**707:**

_omg_

_i’m actually offended T_T_

_but let’s talk about that later_

_who are you, Tiger?_

_actually wait I’ll just go track this lmao forgot it’s my job_

**You:**

_I’m just_

_I was trying to return a phone???_

_Who are you people and what am I doing in this chat-_

_What am I doing in this_ _chat_ was a question that would haunt you for a few days from there onwards, but you didn’t know yet. It was past midnight already, but your drowsiness had already wore off with the whole ordeal.

It was an exhausting exchange as you tried to tell the truth: that you had gotten led towards the apartment by a stranger, feeling slightly humiliated that they called you out on how naïve that had been. Stranger danger, Zen had said, and you’d never wanted to throw your phone away so badly. When V, who seemed to be their leader joined in, you felt even more anxious.

Apparently the apartment had belonged to a young woman that wasn’t between them anymore, and it was the previous leader of their organization too…

Because, oh boy, they were an organization that hosted parties for charity. Like, huuuuge parties.

Man, what had you gotten yourself into?

You thought it’d be friendly and after the exchange you could leave the place and go back home, because nothing major had happened. Just go back home and forget about this weird thing about the phone. That Unknown probably just wanted to prank the RFA group, as they called themselves.

Rika’s Fundraising Association.

 

**Jumin Han:**

_Now that this… Tiger knows about our organization, I’m afraid it won’t be easy for her to leave._

You were reeeally close to throw your phone away. That hacker, the Seven guy, had found out about you. Just your fakebook page, but it was reserved for just friends and family. There went all the privacy you wanted to keep, though at least he wasn’t sharing anything from it, he just told everyone you seemed safe.

You didn’t like where this was going.

 

**You:**

_what?!????_

_You can’t suggest what I’m thinking you’re suggesting!_

**Jumin Han:**

_But I am._

**ZEN:**

_dude relax_

_you’re scaring the lady_

**707:**

_but he’s right in a sense_

_none is supposed to know about this chat;; or who organizes this mess_

_I’m sorry but_

_it’s the truth_

**You:**

_?????_

_What are you trying to tell me oh god_

**Jaehee Kang:**

_That you’ll have to become a member of the RFA, I’m afraid._

_Even if I’m not keen with the idea of letting a complete stranger join in, I won’t question V’s judgement._

**V:**

_Thank you for trusting me, Jaehee._

_Listen, Tiger, I know it’s sudden, but…_

_If you were led here, it might be because of Rika._

**Yoosung:**

_I want to believe Rika would send someone as kind as you!_

“Okay kid, slow down…” you mumbled to yourself. That Yoosung boy changed from being afraid of you for being a stranger to look forward to talk with you the moment they dropped you could have led there by “Rika” herself.

You weren’t sure what to believe. Were you led there by her at all? Was it all just a prank?

You were a bit superstitious, but at the same time, it sounded too… strange.

 

**You:**

_But I already have a job…_

**707:**

_Yep, works at a clothes shop!_

_oh lololol it’s a nice shop_

_bit away from where I live tho_

**ZEN:**

_dude show a photo already_

_her having a bunny pic says she has to be cute!_

_Actually it was just the first thing I picked…_ you thought.

**_707:_ ** _  
lol nope, in fact she’s too cute for you_

**ZEN:**

_OH COME ON_

**Jumin Han:**

_Both of you,_

_stop shitting around._

_Where was I? Ah, yes._

_Your job will be basically just answer emails that will be sent to your phone. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a big responsibility, since it’ll have to be with the party’s success._

**You:**

_So I just have to convince people to come to this party of yours?_

**Yoosung:**

_Also yours now~_

_but yeah, it was what Rika did_

_she had an amazing way of convincing people!!_

**You:**

_It doesn’t sound too bad…_

_But the last time I said this, I ended up in a chat full of strangers lolol_

**707:**

_lololol don’t worry_

_we’re completely trusthworthy~!_

**You:**

_Says the hacker._

You stopped writing, realizing something. Oh, the horror: you were having fun in that chatroom.

_Well, shit._

**Jumin Han:**

_So, Tiger…_

_Will you join the RFA?_

_Maybe this is what we needed to host the parties again, and who knows._

_You might be even good at it._

**V:**

_If what Luciel said it’s true and she works as a seller, she should have some experience at convincing, haha._

Well, at least they were becoming… friendlier, in a sense.

It did help making up your mind.

 

**You:**

_Alright, if all I have to do is answer emails... I guess I can give it a go._

**Yoosung:**

_!!!_

**You:**

_It’s not like I can leave without trying anyways, you kinda left that clear._

**Jumin Han:**

_I’m good at words._

**_ZEN:_ **

_-_-_

You couldn’t help but snort at that.

 

**707:**

_Alright, I’ll go get her info ready~!! Jaehee, you’ll get the documents soon._

**Jaehee Kang:**

_Understood._

**707:**

_Oh, and_

_I do understand you can’t leave your job, but you should be careful_

_since that Unknown person might still be tracking you, you should watch it._

_It’d be nice if you could just stay in, but…_

**Yoosung:**

_you can’t expect her to be locked up all day!!_

**Jaehee Kang:**

_But if it’s for her security…_

**707:**

_ARRRGH, don’t target the messengeeeer~ I’m just saying what V told me before he left the chat!_

_We can’t send any of Jumin’s bodyguards since Rika’s address is a secret…_

_You hear me, Tiger? You can’t reveal your current address to anyone. Come back to the apartment as soon as you finish work every day, okay? We’ll watch if it’s safe for you to come out little by little._

Alright… so they kinda got you covered with the Unknown stalker issue.

It felt nice to talk a bit more, making your nervousness fade away completely as they were… well, themselves, giving space to your tiredness. They looked like a nice group, but you had work early the next morning, so you decided to just go to the point for the moment.

 

**You:**

_I can go pick my stuff up at least, right?_

**707:**

_Ya, but keep us updated if you leave the apartent;; just for security_

_apartment* lol_

_im so tired_

**Yoosung:**

_go to sleep Seven lol_

**707:**

_can’ttttt_

_got work to do_

_the Defender of Justice can’t ever sleep, little Yoosung!_

**Yoosung:**

_don’t call me that_

It seemed like they still were going to bicker a little more, and considering you had work the next day and it was almost 2am… maaaybe it’d be a wise decision to go to sleep now.

The bed was big and soft, but cold. You shivered at the thought if this being property of someone who wasn’t in the world of the living anymore, but you had no other choice. It was too late to take a bus and go back to your home, and besides you’d end up just sleeping more later than you wanted to.

You decided to spend your first night with the first things you found in the wardrobe, remembering V had told you to _please_ avoid touching Rika’s desk. He had even warned that an alarm would sound if you did and you didn’t want to get yourself into a bigger mess. Plus, they seemed locked and in need of a key to open it. You had your own laptop too at home.

Except for the cabinets in Rika’s desk, V had said you were able to use everything else, so you eyed the wardrobe with caution. It was filled with beautiful yet simple dresses, the kind you see in magazines during Spring/Summer photoshoots with models in open fields.

There was a giant TV too (and you thought about your game station at your apartment), a clean and handy kitchen and a nice bathroom. It looked way better than your place, and more expensive too…

Okay, so you wouldn’t complain at all. A job in exchange of a place to stay, and an easy job at that.

… Right?

Well, you still had your clothes shop, but you liked working there along your comrades and manager.

It was once you turned off the lights and closed your eyes, ready to sleep, when you realized something that set your nervousness on edge and almost made you jump off the bed.

How would you tell all of this to your boyfriend...?


	2. Press START

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just the beginning and you feel like a newborn trying to learn how to walk in this mess of a situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beginnings are the hardest for me and I strugged with this big boy BIG TIME, however on the next chapter it'll be easier since, well, MC has fit in already. I love writing struggles and whatnot, and how confused MC should have been, having second thoughts and all that jazz someone would probably have after joining this mess of a group called RFA.

**Press START**

 

You had never, ever been so confused in your life before. Choosing a major at college was nothing compared to your current struggle.

When you woke up at Rika’s apartment, confusion filled every bit of your mind, blinking as you stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. Your body felt heavy, tired... How many hours had you slept, anyways? It even took a bit to register where you were.

Then it all came crashing down and you felt reality slap you in the face, realizing you probably did a _series of terrible decisions_ the night prior.

You started off the day with a loud _oh, shit._

You were _trying_ not to panic or overthink stuff, or both, really. _It was a weird dream_ , you told yourself, even though the very living proof that it had been real was all around you.

The apartment was nice, way better than your small mess of a place, you had to give them that, and give your brain a pat on the back for desperately grasping to the positive sides of the situation so you wouldn’t lose your mind.

But you didn’t even know where to start with the whole RFA thing, for everything’s sake, and you had no time to read what they had talked about over the night.

You made your best to get to your job in time, reaching for the buses near the area and arriving right on time out of sheer luck (considering you were living in a complete new zone now) and you wished luck had been on your side the previous night.

_Then again, you got a new place to live, so that’s lucky in a sense?_

_Yeah, but now I have a stalker and was, well, kinda blackmailed to join an organization?_

_It isn’t the mafia, they work for charity!_

"Oh my God," you whined, catching the eye of some of your co-workers in the changing room. Blood rushed to your face, realizing you just had told your own brain to _shut up_ out loud. "I-I thought I forgot my keys..."

_Dodged the bullet._

"Hey kid," Hayoon’s voice managed to make you focus on something that didn’t set you on the edge of panic, finally. "Problems in paradise? Those are some dark circles you’ve got there."

You dismissed her worry with a wave of your hand. Hayoon had been there from the very beginning when you began working at their clothes shop and she had become your mentor, your comrade, your best friend and also your damn chaperone when Namil came around your life. She’d already fussed over you a lot, there was no need to give her more reasons to worry and drag her into this mess, right? You still had to figure out yourself what _you_ were doing, anyways. At least, for now.

"No, it’s not Namil..." Your own breath was shaky. "I just got home late last night, that’s all."

She frowned at you. “Well we’re opening in ten minutes, so you might want to cover those up. I have some powder in my bag, if you want some.”

"I’ll manage, Hay. I’m just tired, that’s all"

"If you say so..." You could almost hear the grinds turning inside her head, trying to find out either what really was going through your mind (good luck with that) or to come up with a plan for after you both were done with your shift at evening. "Say, why don’t we go out tonight?"

Ah, you’d guessed right. You couldn’t help the smile coming up to your lips as you mockingly squinted at her. "Do I look like I’m in the shape to go out?"

She mirrored your smile back, her honey eyes glancing at you with concern as she buttoned her own black retailer shirt up. “Not really, but you sure look gloomy and post-party tired is way better than gloomy-tired.”

"I appreciate it, but I’m busy tonight."  _I have to move all my stuff... and I shouldn’t be out at all._

"Alright, your loss, and here I was proposing we went hottie-hunting..."

You let out a snort.

 

* * *

 

The RFA was... a peculiar group, to say the least.

You checked your phone during your lunch break, finally deciding to go over the missed info from last night: you read over Yoosung talking about his gaming habits, complaining about Jumin Han about his early rising even though both seemed to get up at the same hour, you saw Jaehee had logged in during the night because of work and you had a missed call from an unknown number, also a private message from Seven saying “please call me back when u see this!”

They sure were lively…

And now it looked like Yoosung was sneaking during class. 707 was on, too. Hayoon seemed busy on her own phone in front of you, so you decided to ignore the knot in your stomach and join them, for once.

**Tiger has joined the chat.**

**Yoosung:**

_!!!_

_Tiger, you’re here!!_

**You:**

_hey_

**Yoosung:**

_I’m bored in class, please save me_

**You:**

_pay attention, kiddo_

**Yoosung:**

_but history is soooo borrrrriiiingggggg T_____T_

_i’d rather play lolol_

 

You rolled your eyes, taking a giant bite out of your sandwich. Hayoon eyed you from across the cafeteria table and you shrugged at her. "What? I haven’t had breakfast this morning."

"I can see that."

You went back to your phone as she went back to hers, scrolling down quickly with her finger. Whatever she was reading, it sure had her really hooked.

**You:**

_you need some studies to get a job, job for money and money for games tho_

**707:**

_lololol_

_or connections_

**You:**

_that too_

**707:**

_also s’up Tiger, did you see my message?_

**You:**

_yeah, but I was in a rush to get to work this morning, so I didn’t see it until now ;;_

**707:**

_call me back plz i need to check something_

**Yoosung:**

_i feel ignored T_T sevennnnn!!_

 

Call him, huh.

You eyed Hayoon. Surely she wouldn’t mind…

"I’m going to get some air for a bit, I’ll be right back."

She made a humming noise, still focused on her reading. Yep, definitely wouldn’t mind.

You allowed yourself to enjoy the chilly air outside for a bit, leaning against the wall. Your retailer uniform was fully black and consisted only of a simple buttoned shirt, a small purple scarf around your neck, pants and heels. It wasn’t warm, but it was worse during the Summer anyways due to the black set.

You pressed the dial button before you allowed yourself to change your mind.

**_Beep, beep, beep._ **

A male voice, sounding deep and forced, picked up. "Hello, you have contacted the Vanderwood residence, home of the best maids in the universe! We train maids and send them to you, taser included. How may I help you?"

 _What the_ –

"Uh... Seven zero seven...?"

There was a pause and then, to your relief, you heard a snicker, voice now sounding younger and not forced at all.

"Sorry," you heard him laugh over the phone. You couldn’t help but think that his laugh sounded nice. "Couldn’t resist! It was too tempting. Anyways, I just wanted you to call to confirm your phone number, nothing to worry about!"

"Oh." That was... how the first phone conversation with an RFA member should go, right? Hell, you weren’t sure how to act anymore. "Glad to be of help?"

"No problemo," he replied. "All RFA members have each other’s phone numbers saved in the app, so it’s only fair you’re in the list now as well."

"Wait, will I need to do calls?"

He seemed to notice your hesitant tone. "Not a fan of it?"

"Oh, no no no, it’s just... I don’t know them yet, I wouldn’t know where to begin, especially since I have nothing to work on yet."

"You have a job now, right?"

His question took you a bit by surprise. "Yeah, I thought you knew."  _Since you mentioned it to everyone after managing to check my private facebook._

"Well, remember your first day there too, I’m sure you were a bit nervous as well," he sounded excited all of sudden. "So here it will be the same! But, do not fear, madam, for here we all are fair people."

"Mada–"

"In fact I’m sure they’ll call you first now that your number’s in. My bets are on Zen, I hope you don’t mind I didn’t say you have a boyfriend yet, I wanted to enjoy the show."

" _Excuse me?_ "

"Zen and Yoosung are quite desperate for a girlfriend, and both ganged up on me once, so I thought to have a bit of revenge."

You weren’t sure about how to take that at all. Too confused to even feel offended, maybe. One part was glad he kept your private life away. "You aren’t going to use me for that, are you?"

"Oh, I’m not using you," you could almost _hear_ his smirk. "I just won’t tell them, though you are completely free to share your life as you please."

But did you want to, though?

Not that you wanted to hide stuff _from_ Namil and _about_ Namil (you liked to talk about some stuff, but, y’know, _stranger danger_ ), but if the stalker thing was true and he found out, stuff would probably blow up on your faces.

Yet, you didn’t want to make anyone in your circle worry, you were used to do stuff on your own and it made you nervous to bring someone else into this mess. For now. Your inner conflict, filled with “I should tell them, I’m worried and it’ll be better” and “but they’ll worry, stress and I might just complicate things for everyone, plus it’s forbidden” was far from over.

Still, you grasped onto something, to what you thought was best at the moment for everyone.

"Thing is," you began, knowing you were being listened to. "Not sure if I want to mention it, or, well... the stalker could go after him too, and I’m not sure about telling him about this yet."

"He can’t know about the RFA," the hacker deadpanned making you bite your lower lip. Secrets, safety and all, but still, he was someone you cared about. "After the first party we hold, if it goes well and we know we can trust him, then you’ll be able to introduce him, but for now..."

"Things are fresh, there’s the stalker, and I myself have only been in the RFA for one day." You summarized, it didn’t bug you much now that you let it out, to be quite honest. You snuck a peek around you, making sure none was spying, but the chilly air kept strangers at bay inside the café.

"Bingo~. I won’t say anything about him either if you don’t want to, it’s up to you if you wanna tell about your stuff, but I’ll have to do a background check sooner or later. No RFA for him though, he’s grounded."

You snickered. "You’re... peculiar, Seven."

He sure had made a good first impression. You were used to treat customers formally and then unwind with your friends, but the RFA thing had been so sudden, you weren’t sure how to act or how to grasp it. _They are being friendly so far, so might as well act the same way back._

"Oh, wow, thanks, though I get that compliment a lot." A pause. "Because it was a compliment, right?"

Another snicker. "It is if you want it to be." You nearly jumped when the door to the café opened, thinking it was Hayoon, but it was just another one of your co-workers, already living for their shift. Maybe now it would be a good time to head back. "Ah, I think I have to go soon. Duty might call."

Seven whistled at the other side of the phone. "No probs. I have to get my sleep too before working."

 _What?_  "Isn’t it, like, midday?"

"Yep, but hackers never sleep! Oh, one last thing: you two look adorable in your facebook pics! With that, adiós, my lady!"

Just like that, he hung up.

Checking the chat one more time to see that Yoosung had gotten caught in class, you pulled Hayoon out of her own little world and dragged her to work, feeling as if a small weight had been lifted off your shoulders, but some of it still remained.

And would probably get heavier.

 

* * *

 

Same scenario, same voice telling you to get your ass home, but you were far from feeling as relieved as you had felt the day prior. This time, Hayoon was going home with you once the shift was over. At least it wasn’t nighttime and you both had decided to walk the whole way back.

God, your hate for Mondays sure had grown.

At least today had been uneventful. No more messages from Unknown and no more calls during work. Your phone felt heavy in your hands whenever you took it out and tried to check, and the knot in your stomach didn’t help when trying to get into that small, lively and often-bickering group. In the end you just snuck to read some chats from time to time during low-customer hours only to find out that Jumin loved showing off his cat and wasn’t as stern as he seemed, that Yoosung loved to sacrifice his sleep for LOLOL (though you used to do the same with Owerwatch, but none had to know that) and that Jaehee was just Super Done with her boss’ strange projects which you dared not to ask about. Yet.

But you didn’t participate in any chats, you felt more like an observer. They had bonds between them you didn’t have, a trust and confidence when speaking that you lacked. The fact that one of them was a heir of a known company didn’t help, either, and that Zen was a growing and talented musical actor... that you had never heard about.

Well, you probably did, but forgot, you didn’t have time to get into that little world anyways.

A dark skinned hand waved in front of your face.

"Helloooo, are you listening to me?" You jumped at Hayoon’s loud voice and blankly stared at her as she blew strands of her short brown hair off her face. The wind was being terrible that day. "You’ve been spacing out for an hour! What’s wrong with you today?"

 _I’ve been stalked, I’m probably not safe and I can’t tell you, and also now I’ve got an extra job as a party hostess for a really big charity organization formed by a strange group of people I’ve never heard of before and also I have to move to a NEW APARTMENT_ –

"Nothing, I told you before. Lack of sleep last night," you shrugged, speeding the pace.

"Did Namil keep you up or what?!" You almost- _almost_ -bumped into a lamppost, turning on your heels to yell at Hayoon as you felt your face heat up. She was laughing at your scowl, the little–

"I thought I told you to stop it with those jokes! Nothing like that ever happened!"

"You wish," she winked at you, catching up as you stomped away with whatever dignity you had left. "Have you even asked him to move in yet? I’m sure he’d love to–"

You cut her off. "Not yet, Hay. I can’t do this yet."

"After two years it’s nice to try and move forward in the relationship, you know."

You knew it was out of concern, that she wasn’t being nosy and that she _knew_ you wanted someone close around. Living alone sometimes took a toll on you. "I know, but honestly Hay... it’s more complicated than you know. Even I don’t know what to do."

And that was as much as you could tell her.

She seemed about to ask something, but just as she opened her mouth, your phone began to ring. Quite the timing, considering you were close to your door.

You eyed the screen, seeing a big glowing ZEN in the caller id. You picked it up before Hayoon could even peek at who it was; didn’t stop her from mouthing “is it Namil?” at you, though. You rolled your eyes as an answer and waved her off.

You took a deep breath, unlocking your door. "Hello?"

"Hey," a man’s impatient voice sounded at the other end. Puzzled at the familiarity he was addressing you with, you remained silent. "Where are you?"

Panic set in. _Did I do something wrong?_ _Seven_ _did tell me I could pick my stuff up-_  "I’m at my house... where else?"

"Your hou–" A pause and a strange fiddling noise, as if he was checking something on his own phone. "Oh, oh _shit_ , I’m so sorry, wrong number! I was trying to call a friend, ack!"

His stammering was so adorable you couldn’t help but laugh at it. At least your slight panic was gone. "It’s alright, now you get to hear the newest RFA member’s voice!"

You heard a sigh of relief. "I’m honored you think that way, for a moment I feared I was bothering you... but now that we’re on the phone, perhaps we’ll get to know more about each other!"

_Oh boy, here we go._

"Are you trying to flirt with me?"

"Er– of course not, not yet anyways."

_Yet?!_

"... That’s not the wisest way to approach a lady, you know," you would be lying if you said you weren’t having fun at all, but you took pity on the man. At that rate he would get a partner when pigs learned to fly.

Another long pause. "... Did I make it awkward?"

"You should be thankful I have a very nice sense of humour, let’s go with that."

"Crap," Zen sighed, "been too long since I last did this. Start over? Okay, start over. My name’s Zen and I called to get to know you, the new RFA member, better. Is that alright?"

You raised your brows, slightly amused. “I thought you dialed my number by mistake?”

Yet another pause. You were getting a lot of those.

"Let’s pretend I did that," he dropped, and you let out the loudest snort in your life. You knew Zen was peculiar from the way he acted on the chats, but this was just another level.

"Well, it’s one way to first call someone and start a convo, I’ll give you that."

"Right? I was brilliant~"

You’d say you hit it off with Zen pretty quickly and nicely, considering the circumstances. He had a friendly vibe that allowed you to relax after exchanging a couple of words with him, just like with Hayoon when you two first met. It was a nice distraction to hear him talking about the RFA members, filling you in a little more, as you packed your suitcase with clothes, laptop and others. You were sure Zen was hearing you rummage around your house, but if he was curious, he held it back.

"So, Tiger, what do you think of the RFA?"

"Me? Oh, um..."

What did you exactly think of them? Good question.

"I don’t know you all enough yet to make up a full opinion, and I joined rather... forcefully?" It wasn’t the smoothest way to put it, but it was a way. You heard Zen humming as you threw the last of your belongings into the travel suitcase. _That_ _should do for a couple of weeks_.

"Can I give you some advice?"

You nodded before remembering you were on the phone. "Uh, sure thing."

"Talk to us." That’s it? "We don’t bite, I saw you logged in a few times, but never joined our convos."

"Oh."

You heard him chuckle as you realized your face was heating up. "We don’t bite–well, maybe Jumin does, but I promise we’ll take care he doesn’t. He’s just... weird."

 _So they diss each other even in these kinda groups, huh._  "Note taken?"

"No, I’m actually serious. You’re going to be our party hostess, and I’m... well, this might sound like I’m putting tons of pressure on you, but I mean it: I’d love if we could host the parties again, and, well, the best base for teamwork is trust, isn’t it? That’s what I learnt from my job."

You paused. He did have a point, didn’t he? You were going to work with these people and you needed to step bit by bit into their world.

"Sorry if I made this more awkward, but, well... we really wanted to host the parties again, if this is a sign from Rika, bless her, then I want to help you."

"That’s so sweet," you slipped. Oh well. "I don’t want to be too intrusive... I mean, I don’t know any of you."

"Nah, don’t mind that. Yoosung’s already warming up, Seven will literally push you in there and make you join his crazy plans, Jaehee just needs a bit of time since Seven already said you’re clean and that Trustfund jerk? He’s just... no, he’s just no. The further he stays from you, the better."

 _The joys of friendship_ , you thought sarcastically. "You make him sound like he’s part of a mafia."

"If there was a mafia based on cat care he’d be the leader of it, I dare to bet. Oh, drat, it’s getting late... I should hang up and let you sleep."

You eyed the suitcase and the door, thinking you still had to make your way to the new apartment.

"I still have to get home…"

"What?"

"I’m picking up my own stuff and all–"

Zen seemed to understand, for he let out a long "oooh", and then added "well, I do have to hang up in any case; I need to prepare my facial mask. Hey, since we talked about this: everyone’s in the chat right now."

You felt an unfamiliar knot in your stomach.

"... Can I really do this?"

Zen heard you, though the question was more for yourself than anyone else.

"Of course! I mean I feel like I'm the only one who'd like to give you time to reconsider, but the beginning is the hardest part and then comes getting used to it, but I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it in no time. We’re here to help too, remember?"

Man, he sure sounded eager to help, didn’t he? You did remember they mentioned how important the parties were for them, too. Despite his efforts to avoid putting pressure on you, it was still weighing on your back. You always avoided big tasks, big roles, because you were afraid of failing, afraid of disappointing.

But you were led there, after all. Perhaps by Rika herself, if you believed in Fate. _Worth an effort, right? Worth an effort. I said that last night. Can’t back up now._

"I’ll try."

"Good! Ah, I have to leave for good– be safe on your way home, okay?"

"Yeah, sure..."

Absentmindedly, right after hanging up, you checked the chatroom: everyone was there, talking about their stuff just like Zen had said. Seven seemed to be pissing off poor Jaehee, who was spamming her angry emojis over and over, Jumin Han adding his (unasked) opinion here and there and poor Yoosung trying to keep Seven and Jaehee from emoji-wrecking the place.

You felt as lost right now as the previous night when you arrived. You missed being at work and having something else to focus on, even if it sounded like an excuse to run away–

Your mother did taught you **stranger danger** back in the day, but now you had to take care of yourself, and that meant taking your own path, didn’t it? Perhaps all you needed was to step back and start over.

Perhaps start over at Rika’s place with the whole RFA thing, just like Zen had said: _get more involved with us_. The knot was growing tighter the more you thought about it.

"The only way to go is forward, isn’t it?" you told yourself.

You stepped outside, pulling your suitcase with you and locking the door, determination growing with each step you took. The wind was calming down and the sky was shining orange, your favourite moment of the day.

You swiped open your lockscreen, entered the app and typed in:

 

**You:**

_hi people!_

_sorry I was absent the whole day, I got a bit nervous ahah;;_

_I’ll try to be on more from now on, and I’d like to know you all better too since we’ll work together!_

 

* * *

Seven liked to trust his instincts. He was right most of the time, anyways, so he usually followed his instincts where they led. His life had depended on it in more than one occasion, anyways.

Putting the future of the organization in someone completely inexperienced and new was one way to throw yourself into the shark pool, and yet his Great Hacker Instincts (wasn’t he modest) told him that they had found someone good for the job. Or perhaps all they needed was someone new since Rika died to finally kick those party-planning engines into work. In any case, he was hopeful, even when you appeared to dodge them during the whole day. He understood you needed time.

He eyed the CCTV, knowing you’d open the door at any moment– ah, there you were! Seven let out a breath of relief he didn’t know he’d been holding. He was responsible of your safety, after all.

Peeking closer, he saw you were laughing at your phone, pulling the suitcase behind you and disappearing down the hallway, away from his view.

Seven couldn’t help the smile of relief. “You fit in fast when you want to, don’t you?”

He had to admit: he was curious, you were another unknown code he wished to crack just like everyone else in the RFA. Seven put limits on himself, but the wish to know everything was there, part of his nature and on the back of his mind. It was exciting to have everything moving back again by putting a new piece in their engine.

Seven shook his head. He should really stop comparing everything to machinery and codes, or else he might as well begin speaking in Morse code. Surely Vanderwood would tase him for real then.

He peeked again at his open chat: Zen had joined in again after his facial mask session and was bickering with Jumin over Jaehee’s sleep schedule while Yoosung sympathised with her lack of sleep. A normal night, he mused. This time, however, felt different…

Because you were there, lending Jaehee a (very needed) listening ear as she let herself out about the takeout she usually had to eat, and telling Yoosung that you would join in a game after settling your stuff out if you had time. He had invited you in, after all. Jumin also hadn’t stopped spamming cat pictures, undoubtedly proud that you liked his Elizabeth.

"Welcome to the RFA, Tiger." Seven mumbled to himself, settling down his phone and stretching. He hadn’t felt this excited in a good while, it felt like pressing  START in a new game he'd been dying to try out. "Let’s see where you lead us."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This monster of a chapter got a bit out of hand, but MC still has a long way to go and grow as she shows bits of her personality. Writing in English is harrrrd, but I hope I can show how she feels, it's what I love to write the most. Also, she doesn't have a name nor a physical appearance, I'd love to keep her vague so readers can relate, but I had to give her the nickname for the sake of using something, and I held Tiger close to my heart from using it in an old fic with another protagonist.
> 
> I had fun writing that lil bit of Seven and I need morrrre BUT NOT YET. Also Namil's making his way in for you to see him. Now that MC is closer with the gang, this will FINALLY get easier to write and plot will slam in like Unknown through your window.
> 
> PS: Cookies if you caught up on Hayoon looking as MC#4, I just love how she looks, couldn't help but sneaking her in.
> 
> PS2: Any My Candy Love otome lovers here please raise yer hand, this game has years but it's hard to find MORE PEOPLE
> 
> [Buy Me a Coffee?](https://ko-fi.com/A08150G)   
> 


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